Royal Payne
Royal Payne was a Tarshian clan lord, assassin, spy, inventor and revolutionary. He was instrumental in the War of the Wilds, acting as strategist to the Traerid. Known for his startling forwardness and fearless demeanor, "Royce" (as he preferred to be called) was a polarizing figure, even in his day. His execution at the hands of the Crown was the coffin nail of the Tarshian revolution, and cemented his position in Paraphilian history as a symbol of rebellion, courage and sacrifice. Since his death, he has become something of a folk hero, featuring prominently in artwork and literature both historical and contemporary. Large amounts of this work is sexual in nature, in part due to his oft-remarked on "personal size." He is posthumously credited as the founder of House Sei'Dist. His supposed final words to the King--"My lord, you cannot torture a sadist"--inspired the name. History Born to Fight Born Wright Sierran to Assassin Clan Payne, the boy who would become Royal Payne was the only son of a regular warrior and his extraordinary wife. It was made clear to him early on that he was special, a knowledge that imbued him with the arrogance that would become his hallmark. It was well-earned; by the time he was eight, he could fight three boys his size hand-to-hand, responding to hits taken with little more than a flinch before retaliating twice as hard. Knowing his son's fate, Sierran Payne put his son through a brutal training regimen, pitting him against older boys in ever-growing numbers and commanding him to win. Through spite alone, the boy took the challenge head-on, proving right away that he was born for impossible odds. He got so good at it that he started looking for people to challenge. His mother disapproved, and so he learned to be subtle about it, while still seeking out conflict. It was the start of a problem that would last him all his life. If there was a fight to be had, he wanted it...and if there wasn't one, he would start one. Though his strength and resilience made him a natural choice for a sword, the boy was drawn to archery, enjoying the challenge and power involved in wielding a bow. It was the first time he was terrible at something. Despite his father's insistence that he settle with a blade, he kept at it at his mother's insistence, assured that the difficulty would only make the victory sweeter. (It was her attempt at keeping him out of trouble. It worked for a while.) Eventually, he got the hang of it--and then, he was good. By the time he went off to train with his mother's people at age twelve, he was one of the best archers in the clan. The day he left, he changed his name, foregoing his father's rather snide name in favor of an even more sarcastic one. If he had any say, he wasn't going to be a "right pain." He was going to be a royal pain. From then on, with tongue firmly in cheek, he was known as Royal Payne. It was a decision he made from spite alone, never knowing that his chosen name would go down in history. The Sin of Pride The nature of his training with his mother's clan was largely a mystery, but by the time he returned, "Royce" seemed entirely unchanged. If anything, his fighting spirit seemed bolstered, and he quickly demonstrated to any who asked just how much he had learned while he was away. His skill with a bow and blades was such that those who faced him hardly knew how to counter his advances--both in combat, and in a private sense. The cockiness that had marked him as a boy had grown into full-on megalomania. There was nothing he could not accomplish. And because he believed it, it became reality. It was during one of his many demonstrations of skill that his future came knocking, in the form of the visiting Kann'aire. Privately impressed by his confidence and talent, the man challenged Royce to shoot a goblet from his hand without hitting him. If he failed, he would have wounded the lord of his Clan, and proven his own arrogance. Royce didn't hesitate, and easily shot it down, piercing the cup through its bowl. Wryly, Kann'aire Payne criticized his lack of aim, indicating how far he had shot from his hand. With the suggestion that he should pierce the stem, he left the frustrated teenager, intending to humble him. Neither of his parents were surprised to find holes in all their cups for the next few weeks. Royce practiced day and night, firing arrows through standing cups, then airborne ones. His father went to the Kann'aire in secret, intending to warn his cousin of what he had started. Balustran Payne merely smiled, and assured him he knew exactly what he was doing. The Traerid visited the next day, and eighteen-year-old Royal Payne proved several things about himself all at once. Midway through the welcoming fete, an arrow split the crowd and shot a silvered goblet right out of Kann'aire Payne's hand. It pierced the stem dead-center, pinning it to the wall at his side. Royce was promptly arrested for attempting to assassinate his lord, in front of the entire clan. Reward for a Lesson Unlearned His parents were humiliated. As he was carted off to be locked up, the pair reluctantly rushed to explain away their son's decision, citing his dedication to his craft and foolishly-portrayed good intentions. However, their attempts were quickly proven futile, when the clan lord promptly burst out laughing. No one else found it funny, but that didn't matter. The boy had proven his first impression right: he was damn good with a bow, he was stubborn, he was cocky, and he had the stone to back it up. Also that he was an idiot. He had hit the target, but missed the point entirely. That Kann'aire Payne's first reaction was to laugh assured his others of the Traerid that stupidity was not a deal-breaker. At the very least, the boy had demonstrated his cunning and skill, which was all that they required. With great reluctance, the Traerid consented. One night in prison later, Royce was greeted by the Kann'aire himself, who greeted him as Kaet t' Kann Payne--First of the Clan. It was a title that marked him as Traeridi-elect, and his successor. Needless to say, this did little else but assure Royce that everything he had done had been worthwhile--never mind the half a dozen hole-filled cups to his name and ending up in jail. He had passed the test, regardless of the risk. His satisfaction with this reasoning was short-lived, however, as his mother was quick to correct him. His victory was only thanks to the clan-lord's good humor; had he struck him by mistake, he would have been hanged. Though Royce attempted to justify himself, she was firm in her scolding. The purpose had not been to see if he could do it--it had been to teach him that he did not know everything. Winning from spite was still winning, but it taught him nothing. All he had done was proven that he could not take a hint. If he continued to bash his face against every challenge, she said, he would find himself dead. And that, of all things, he took to heart. Marriage and Ascencion When it came time for the young and arrogant warrior to be married, his betters were faced with a challenge: finding a woman strong enough to match him, and level enough to balance him out. The answer to this problem came from a roving tribe, in the form of a woman named Poinciaua. Three years his senior, Aua was strong-willed and opinionated. The two of them clashed immediately. Her obstinate resistance to his charm combined with her shocking fearlessness both offended and impressed him. In a mockery of proper courting, Royce tried every trick he knew, making great shows of his skill, using words and guile and every other advantage at his disposal to try and get into her skirts. All of these attempts ended in frustration, to her personal amusement. But along the road to his embarrassment, Aua managed to glimpse some of what was behind the self-absorbed mask he wore. Whatever she saw, she liked it enough to consent. They were married soon after. Though marriage was meant to rein him in, Royce did not truly settle down until the birth of his first child, the following autumn. For all his love of flesh and company, he was uncertain how to process the concept of a child, let alone how to handle one. It was a challenge he took to with zeal, often shirking his duties to the clan in favor of playing with his infant son. It was difficult for those who knew him to hold it against him; having been an only child, he had never known the joy of a baby. The reality of having someone so small look to him for what he needed was groundbreaking for him. All his life, Royce had felt he was the center of the world--but now, to this one little boy, he was. The knowledge filled him with purpose, and the surety that he would be a good father. It was one of many things he would go on to accomplish. Though he would soon leave to join the Traerid, Royce was eager to give the boy as much company as he could give him, in the form of eventual siblings. Aua bore with him--for affection, if nothing else. A Delayed Start The time had come at last for the Presentation of the Traerid, the festival that would mark his first meeting with those who would become his others. He was eager to make a good impression, and perhaps to redeem himself in the eyes of the standing Traerid. He set about planning his demonstration with vigor. After all, the event was halfway a competition, meant to dazzle the other clans with the gifts of their chosen successor. With his others being a Faire sorcerer and a Hyatt warrior, Royce knew he would have to pull off something truly special to stand out. And that was just what he did. (to be completed) Personality (To be added) Appearance What is written about Royal Payne focuses largely on his skill and unique personality. Most actual mentions of his appearance draw attention to either his height, or his endowments, the latter of which is often remarked on as being "excessive." The few sources that remark on his appearance unanimously describe him as disarmingly handsome, with angular features, a prominent nose and a toothy, boyish smile. His hair color has been reported as everything from tree-bark to honey, with the majority of sources agreeing on something between. His hair was chest-length, often worn in a Suebian knot at his right temple. He is often depicted with scarlet eyes (stemming from references of his being "devil-eyed"), but in truth, they were closer to citrine-orange. His frame is depicted as lean and solid, in keeping with the demands of an archer's body. Payne reportedly stood chin-high to Faire and chest-high to Hyatt. For this reason, his height is often understated, when in fact he was just beneath average for the time. The fact that his others were exceptionally tall only lends itself to this exaggeration. Abilities First and foremost, Royal Payne was a world-class archer, able to catch and fire back any arrow he saw or heard coming. The demonstration of this skill was something of a hobby, often dazzling onlookers, and terrifying the assisting bowmen. This was not merely a show, however; he demonstrated the usefulness of this favored trick in open combat, often once he ran out of arrows. The strength and precision of his shots was such that he once shot an iron goblet through the stem and pinned it to the wall. He was able to fight at any distance, resorting to side-arm daggers and a sword when low on ammunition. Unlike most archers, he was willing to use a bow within arm's reach, often to the shock of his (soon to be dead) opponent. In addition to his martial skill, Payne was also an inventor, ever in search of a problem to solve. His inability to focus on one thing for long saw him slapping fixes to common problems left and right. Among his inventions were pulley-systems for securing doors and lifting platforms, a modified leg-quiver for mounted archers, and numerous saddle designs. He was something of an alchemist, with a soft spot for poisons. The last one he made--posthumously named the Seeping Death--was used by his son to end the war. Though hardly shy of displaying his abilities, Payne's talents were not all visible. Unbeknownst to all but those closest to him, Royal Payne was Matira' ai: a person born with a modified sense that transmits pain to the brain as pleasure, and a body able to absorb twice the harm of others. He trained as a paynemaestyr, mastering this biological difference in order to deaden or even suppress pain entirely through self-hypnosis. While it did not make him immortal, his body still suffering the damage, this innate ability helped him to bear through the gauntlet of tortures put upon him by the Crown. The fact of his race is completely unknown in a historical sense, with the few references that might reveal it having been long-since stricken from record. Relationships Poinciaua Payne Being cocky and wrong-headed by nature, it was clear early on that Royce would need more than a mere wife to keep him in check. He needed a rival force, and that force was Aua. Stronger in will and smarter to boot, the future Lady Payne had no trouble reining in her lord husband's aggressiveness and pride, encouraging his better habits while strictly correcting the worst ones. Her unshakeable calm and willingness to speak her mind (even if he didn't like it) endeared her to him immediately. This combined with their exceptional physical chemistry led to a long and devoted marriage that lasted until his death. In a world where no one could tell him what to do, Aua held his leash, pulling when necessary--and Royce adored her for it. Faire Lae Though they regularly argued, Faire understood Royce better than any person in his life. Beneath the glamour of pride and power that surrounded him, the sorcerer looked at him and saw through to the part of him that was a sad, lonely boy, seeking fights to fill the void inside him. Combined with his refusal to engage in the violence he craved, Faire's insistence on treating him gently and kindly drove Royce crazy--partly became it made him feel vulnerable. This did little to lessen his attraction to him, Faire's kindness appealing to the softer part of him he often denied. As a result of Faire's support and understanding, Royce often sought him in moments of weakness, seeking counsel and comfort that he did not dare take from anyone else. In return, he used his skill in the bedroom to educate the young and sheltered mage in the ways of love. In that, there was no contest: Royce was the winner. Still, there is nothing an overachiever likes less than an unreachable goal--and for Royce, that goal was Faire. Despite all his charm and skill in the physical arts, the relationship never developed to the depth Royce would have liked. From the day they met til the day he died, he felt there was a barrier between them that prevented him from truly reaching Faire--and that barrier, unknowingly, was Hyatt. Hyatt Vil I From the moment they met, Royce and Hyatt didn't get along. The giant's insecurity clashed with his own arrogance, his restricted sense of intimacy with Royce's open affection. They came to blows almost immediately--and just as fast, Royce found a use for him. At last, someone who could not help but hurt him. The relationship between them was tempestuous at best, with Royce often starting fights just to make Hyatt swing at him. Hyatt never appreciated his baiting, and learned to withhold his violence, in order to spite him. Still, there was affection enough between them. For his part, Royce was a dutiful friend to him, attempting to teach him to read and eventually devising a symbol-code to allow him to write. As often as he would bully him, he was ready to jump to his defense against others, feeling a protectiveness for the gentle giant that bordered on feral. To his death, Royce was jealous of Hyatt for having won Faire out from under him, but nonetheless, he trusted him as a friend. Despite the tension between them, he often found himself covering for Hyatt's lapses to Faire, protecting the knowledge of his illiteracy and keeping the knowledge of his frequent emotional breakdowns to himself. Vischias Payne I If Royce truly loved anyone in the world, it was his eldest son. Nicknamed Kaetan ("(little) first son"), First was his treasure, and the one on which he placed every hope that he had. Using his own as an example to avoid, he strove to be the best father he could to his first-born son, acting as patient guide and unerring support to the notoriously emotional boy. He delighted in teasing him, but just as quickly, he wiped his frustrated tears and assured him that it was all in good fun. Royce was the only person First ever truly listened to. Royce's deepest regret is his son's witnessing his shameful death--an event which instigated FIrst's rise to power as a despot. Trivia * Royce is flagrantly bisexual, in a way considered excessive even by Tarshian standards. He would make a pass at anyone if he thought it would get a rise out of them. Still, he was loyal to wife and the Traerid, engaging in sex with third parties only when strategically necessary. He just really liked flirting. * Unlike Faire, whose father was Traeridi before him, Royce was chosen as successor by his father's cousin. Sierran was never in the running for the Traerid, being generally average. This was a point of tension between them for all his father's life. * Mentions of his "personal size" are assumed to be exaggerated. They aren't; he tops 13 inches erect, making him the most well-endowed person in potentially every verse. Partly due to the excessive size, it's not easily manageable, and rarely by women. * As a ghost, Royce remarks that Fred resembles his mother, who was also blonde, and Matira' ai. This may not be a coincidence.